Another one bites the dust!
Well, finally last night my luck broke and I managed to take a nice young 6x6 Bull Elk on our ranch here in British Columbia. I had not seen much elk activity for the last couple weeks since the season opened on the 10th of September. Last night I took my kids for a quick drive up above our ranch that borders the U.S. I was actually glassing for a big whitetail buck i have been after and happend to spot this lone bull a good mile into the U.S. and he was headed straight for our top fields. I dropped the kids off at the house and tore up to our top fields on my quad I managed to grab my cow call diaphram. Also up in the top field was my cow elk cardboard cut out I had made earlier in the year. I stopped the quad short of the fields and quickly hiked the last 5-600 yrds to the edge of a heavily wooded draw that runs between our neighbours ranch and ours. I glassed the bull approx. 800yds in the adjoining field heading to some heavy old growth timber. I normally set up my decoy by tacking it to a tree then proceed to set up 100yds or so away since I hunt with a rifle. This time though I was rushing because the bull was about to hit the timber. I cow called quite excitedly and flashed the cow decoy as i tried to hold it in the wind and make it stay upright. The bull instanty responded in a flat out run across the field down a ravine and jumped our property line fence onto my property and then dissapeared in the ravine below me. I had no idea where he went. I took the safety off my .300 win set the scope to 3x and then....my decoy blew over making the most noisey sound you could imagine. I figured great...he heard that nonsense and left.....but he bugled.......I knew he was close but could not see him yet. I was holding my rifle in one hand...nice light Savage!!!....the decoy up with the other hand and I thought I will cow call one more soft chirp....I chirped and the bull flew up and hit the decoy.......I fired from the hip one handed and shot the bull from approx. 18"!!! less than 2 feet....one shot clean kill...straight through the windpipe and through the spine with a Federal Premium MRX 180grn form the .300 winnie. He fell backwards down the hill....I filled my shorts! Ican not believe how fast and silent that bull travelled the last 100 or so yrds even when I knew he was there....I got plum lucky I didnt get run over and lucky that I got off a nice clean shot...and for the record I was actually shooting that rifle one handed at my steel gong a couple weeks ago just to see if i could.....I can!....anyhow the bull is a nice younger bull....no wall hanger but one I will remember forever!!.........hope everyone is having a great safe season, good luck and dont stand next to a cow elk decoy in the peak of the rut!!!